I am a longtime registered independent voter. My parents instilled in my siblings and me that lying was unacceptable and results in the loss of trust in the person who lies. This was not unique to my family obviously. Even the Ten Commandments include lying.
Last week, President Trump gave a prime-time speech about his belief that the 2020 presidential election was corrupted. He lost by over 7 million votes. He litigated and lost over 60 challenges. He stated the Chinese stole hundreds of millions of voter records that are publicly available. And he challenged mail-in voting.
In confirmation hearing after confirmation hearing, candidate after candidate refused to acknowledge that Mr. Trump lost the election.
John Braun is now running to represent my district in Congress. He has mostly run on tax issues. What he has not done is defend Washington state voting, which is convenient to me, protected from voter fraud through both digital records and a paper copy for verification purposes. Nor has he called out issues that I feel are critical to me and my family. I have heard no mention of income inequality in our country, the ravages of climate change that the current president calls a hoax while the east floods and the west and Canada burns, or the misleading ads run on his behalf by a political PAC from outside the state.
As a retired Navy officer, I have heard nothing about the conduct of the Iran war. And I have heard nothing about affordability and the cost-of-living issues that are directly impacted by the war and the tax cut bill passed by the Republican Congress that reduced healthcare coverage for millions of Americans, including constituents in the Third Congressional District. Gasoline, food, healthcare, housing and public services have been diminished.
This district has been waiting too long for the Columbia River crossing to be completed. My previous representative, Jaime Herrera Beutler, squandered years through inaction.
Maybe Centralia is too far removed from the larger concentration of the population in his district. Maybe Mr. Braun is beholden to his endorsement by President Trump. His silence is a commentary on integrity to me. I expect more from someone seeking my vote.
G. Pittman
Ridgefield
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